What's lost can't be found
by vacuous
Summary: (AU) Having spent his whole life in the Underworld, Nico is curious about the outside world. His curiosity is only further sparked when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover make their way through the Underworld while looking for Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. The son of Hades has never had any friends among the living- it's about time he made some!
1. Chapter 1

I.

Today wasn't a good day.

In fact, the day was quickly making its way into the list of the 'top ten worst days' of Nico's life, and, as always, there was nothing he could do about it.

He had left his father's palace with a gut feeling that someone was trespassing. Although finding visitors, who were still _alive and breathing_, was rare in the Underworld, it wasn't necessarily impossible. Every so often some dumb demigods would try to make their way through the Underworld in the hopes of completing a quest; even mortals had stumbled upon the Underworld before, but usually they were just _really_ lost pizza delivery guys.

His instincts had been right on the mark. After quickly interrogating Charon, he had found out that two demigods and a satyr had crossed into the Underworld a mere ten minutes before.

He had then been forced to retrace his steps, past the River Styx and back in the direction of the palace.

Of course, when he had finally made it to where Cerberus was standing guard, he had figured out that he was dealing with some pretty smart demigods.

Two of Cerberus's heads were had been in the midst of howling while the third had a large, deflated, rubber ball hanging from its mouth. The alarms had still been blaring, the ghouls and spirits practically running around in circles.

And then, a mere two minutes after, he stood with a sword at his throat, his own against the throat of one of the two demigods who must have been really brave, ( or really dumb), to venture into his father's realm.

The boy who held a sword of bright celestial bronze at his throat was a couple inches taller than him, and probably three or four years older than him.

"Percy Jackson," Nico breathed out, lowering his own sword and sheathing it, motioning for the other to do the same. "Father's been expecting you to show up."

The blonde, who stood beside Percy, visibly paled. Her stormy eyes seemed to stare into Nico's own, making him uneasy. She was _too_ calculating.

The satyr was nervously fiddling with his reed pipes, but as he heard Nico's words he practically bleated out, "I-I thought Hades didn't have any kids..!"

The statement was ignored as Nico's dark eyes raked them over. They had somehow managed to make it this far, whether because of sheer luck or skill- he wasn't sure, and, in itself, that was something to applaud. He knew that the Furies would arrive soon enough; a meeting with his father would be inevitable for the trio if they were spotted.

"Dad's really mad at you- he's been in a sour mood these past few days… You sure you really want to barge in there and just-"

His words were cut off as he heard a nearby screech, it seems that the Furies had been informed of their arrival- they didn't have much time.

"Can you lead us there?"

The words took Nico by surprise, perhaps because he wasn't used to having people ask him for favors, and a slight grin slipped onto his face. How long had it been since he had last smiled? Not since his sister's death in the accident two years prior.

He could have easily led them out of the Underworld if they had so desired, but instead he turned around and began to walk in the direction of the palace, motioning for the trio to follow. Their bravery was admirable, and for a brief second, Nico couldn't help but believe that they could manage to outwit his father and make it out alive. Of course, such optimism was uncharacteristic for him and it soon vanished.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

**If I decide to continue it, (there's a high chance I will), I'll probably update it either every Saturday or Sunday. This chapter's really short and I'm sorry about that...**


	2. Chapter 2

II.

As he led them through the Underworld, they talked, or rather, Nico asked them questions and they felt obliged to answer. They told him about their quest, about their deadline, and even a few lines of the prophecy.

"So let me get this straight," Nico managed, "You didn't actually steal anything?"

Percy sighed, slouching slightly because of his backpack's weight. "I only found out I was a demigod about a week ago, and the bolt's been missing since the winter solstice."

Nico was quiet for a few minutes, leading them past the fields and towards Elysium as he tried to make sense of what he had just been told.

"If you're telling the truth… You're in for a surprise."

The trio didn't get a chance to ask what he meant, for Nico had already started talking about something else- listing a few things about the scenery, ("Elysium's that way, past those gates, non-stop parties and where everyone dreams of going, not that many manage it."), and eventually asking them about the world above.

"You were at Olympus during the winter solstice?" the girl, Annabeth, asked, slightly in shock. Nico had just finished telling them about the one time he _had_ been allowed to journey to the surface since his birth.

"Then **you** should know that Percy's innocent! None of us saw him there either, surely there must be a way to convince Hades that…"

Her words stopped mid-sentence as she watched the son of Hades shake his head.

"That's not all that was stolen; without proof, there's no way my dad will be convinced. The odds… aren't exactly in your favor either."

They traveled in silence after that and Nico didn't mind. They were reaching Tartarus; it was best if they passed it as quickly as possible.

Of course, luck was never on his side.

All of a sudden, the satyr's, (Grover's), shoes had sprouted wings, and in mere seconds he was off flying in the direction of Tartarus. They chased after him, and based on his shocked yelps, it was easy to tell that he wasn't doing this on purpose.

As they neared the entrance to Tartarus, the hairs on Nico's arms rose, his hands colder than usual. He had never liked this place. It was one of the few places his father had told him to never go into, and Nico hadn't argued about it.

Grover was a mere ten feet from the cliff when one of the shoes fell off. With only one shoe, he easily managed to grab onto a rock, clinging onto it until they arrived to drag him away from the edge, the other shoe pulling itself off and flying into the pit.

As they sat there, trying to catch their breath, a whisper that slowly escalated into an evil, furious, voice, echoed from deep within the pit. Nico knew that they had to get out of there.

"Come on," he whispered, a chill creeping up his spine from being in the presence of the pit, "We're almost there."

They followed him, and after a few minutes they had left Tartarus behind and they were almost at the gates of Hades's palace.

Almost.

The Furies circled the air before them, hovering only a few feet in the air.

"Perseus Jackson," Alecto said, "We shall lead you to Hades."

Nico noticed how the trio seemed hesitant, and he tried to give them a brave smile, "Just tell him what you told me, you'll figure out what's missing soon enough."

"Plus," Nico mumbled, eyes on the ground, "I don't really want my only friends to die on me."

And with those words, he shadow traveled to a different area of the Underworld, a slight grin on his face.

Yes, he would see them again, they would be able to get out of here and finish their quest. They wouldn't die.

With these thoughts in mind, Nico began to formulate his own plan- he was going to make his father let him see the mortal world even if it killed him, (which was possible).


End file.
